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My 85 year old aunt on more than one occasion has woke up like this from her chair after falling asleep while watching t.v. this last time it happened it scared us both and she is afraid to nap in her chair now. It scared me because when I walked into her room she was as white as a ghost including her lips, which I watched the color come back into as she woke up and tried to talk to me. I have told her many times its cause you are drowsy from waking up, but this last time she couldn't get up alone, could barly pick her feet up to walk and leaned way over her walker cause she couldn't stand up strait. Her speech was slurred and she coyldnt find the words to speak. But after about 10 min of her med routine she was some better, and after getting her ready for bed she seemed almost back to normal. I have worked in nursing home and not come across quite this but then again they always were put to bed soon after supper. Just wondering if other people who take care of someone at home experiences this and if it is normal and nothing to worry about thanks:0)

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I am 30 yr old female. Will tell you I have this too. Slurred speech ppl think I drink alcohol in the morning even doctors.... My diagnoses is cerebellar atrophy. Syringobulbia. Syringomyelia. Cervical spondylosis. Posterior fossa arachnoid cyst. I need surgery but surgeons don't think it's bad enough yet...and pain isn't a qualifying syptom...nothing seems to be but paralysis or seizure. I don't know what to do but at any age slurred speech, morning weakness, trouble walking is not a sign of dehydration in the morning it is neurological. It is not okay. She must get full MRI and not evaluated by one neurologist...but 20 second opinions because only 1 in 20 are worth their salary.
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Very possibly a stroke. Call the MD in the AM. There is only a four hour window to administer clot busters. I think you may be past that.
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Could this be a stroke?
I will call 911 next time. I should have today.
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Call her doctor and ask if you should take her to er or have her seen next week.
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Sorry, I clicked on "Post a new question" but it posted above as an answer.
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my 85-hr old mother has Alzheimers. This afternoon, it took us almost 15-minutes to wake her up. She seemed to be having bad dream, and she was trying to speak, but words were not clear. I even blotted her face with a cold cloth to try and wake her, when patting her (aggressively) and calling her name loudly did not work. When she awoke, after about twelve minutes, she was talking out of her head. Within ten minutes she seemed fine.
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I think that she needs to be taken to the doctor pronto...like the other readers pointed out, it may be a mini-stroke. With proper meds and diet, she may prevent a full stroke from occurring.
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Jade1950, I agree I would take him back to the dr. And have them take a good look at his meds. There are plenty of anti depressants out there that that do not cause a person to turn into a zombie. It could also be the meds are no longer working for him and he needs somthing new. In that case he would definatley need a replacment med, and not just taken off the current one. Good luck Honey:)
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I don't think it is normal, either. Does he have other health problems?

I think a visit to the doctor is in order. What doctor prescribed the anti-depressant? Someone who knows your father well or someone new to his case? Has he or she followed up to see if/how the drug is working, or just automatically renewed the prescripion? Was it a specialist such as a geriatric psychiatrist or a geriatrician? Just as children are not just small adults and are best served by pediatricians who know what applies to them, elders are not just old adults. A geriatrician is trained to meet the special requirements of this stage of life.

For example, depression medications and anxiety medications can effect the elderly different than other populations. Dosages and reactions should be monitored closely.

All this is a prelude to saying I think your father needs a comprehensive exam to see why he sleeps so much, but not necessarily by the doctor who prescribed the antidepressant unless you are confident in his/her ability to treat your elderly father with the special attention he deserves.

Good luck ... and come back and let us know how this works out.
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84 yr old father, sleeps all day long. He can sleep for 10-12 hrs a night and get up, eat, and go back to sleep on the chair. I don't think this is normal. I'm tired of people telling me, he is old. He has been on anti depressants for 2 yrs since my Mom died, I think I want him off them. opinions? TIA
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Thank you guys so much. Sorry im just now getting back. My husband had surgery so its been crazy around here with the bizzad and kids out of school cause of the snow. She has had one diagnosed stroke that led her to move in here with us. Within the year before her stroke we were pretty sure she had one also because her face drew for a few days. She wouldn't go to the dr. Cause she thought she was to busy with her husband who was on dialasis. Shortly after he passed she had the major stroke. Her bp is more controlled now although it seems like it goes from being to high to too low whitin days,sometims hrs. She had another episode like this again tonight. She quickly came out of it though,by about the time we got done with meds she was better. She drinks lots of water. Her blood sugar seems decent now days.she only recently started eating less but I think its because I started stocking yogurt in her mini fridge in her room lol. She also has a harder time sleeping. She has always got up early,latly she says she can't sleep at night so she gets up and rearanges drawrs and things. She has asked for a t.v. in her bedroom so she can watch when she can't sleep. She agreed to go see the dr.about not being able to sleep at night so hopfully she will mention this to him as well. She dosnt have dementia so I can't just take her to the dr. And she is kinda stubborn. To awnser the question of why we would put them to bed early in the nursing home,it was because by the time we were done with 2 shifts of supper it would be like 6 or 630 and some wanted to go to bed that early some were just used to it. That was another one of the reasons why we wanted to help my aunt avoid the nursing home. There are lots of things that go on in nursing homes that shouldn't but when the facility has 100 residents and 4 people putting them to bed...if you have good aids in them though they will work with the people they are caring for so that the ones that like to stay up longer can. It takes a while to get that many people to bed though so really there is only a small handful that goes that early. Bedtime routines in nursing homes takes a couple hrs. Or better to complete.
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Sleeping sitting up is obviously a cause for this as well. My mom has the same reaction if she has fallen asleep in a funny position on the couch. It is all of the blood not circulating right. Does she have to sit in this chair or some other recliner or bed with elevation may help the situation.
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My mother did the same thing so I immediately took her to the ER and by time we got there she was fine. They diagnoised her with having a mini-stroke after not finding anything else wrong. I believe this can be a very common occurance in the elderly...
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i agree- go to the doctor- it could have something to do with the medications-
also eating enough,drinking enough water,-
be patient, because this is difficult to figure out-
usually a combination of things-
just be careful of what meds are recommended-
sometimes the side effects are worse than the disease-
everyone reacts differently-
It is difficult ,for everyone
god bless...and try and be calm-if u can- it helps-
so often body language is read, even if comprehension and
language is off.
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Dear all, tried to send you a hug,but link didn't work. Good luck and God Bless,D.
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Sorry, not normal .I'll bet she's not elevating her legs or reclining when she sleeps though.at 85, her heart may not be pumping very effectively and GRAVITY will cause pooling of blood in lower extremities and away from VITAL ORGANS ,such as the BRAIN. It's also possible that she had a heart attack or a stroke. Try to get her evaluated by an RN or MD and if she takes another nap,elevate those legs and see if you don't see a big difference.( P.S., Why did you put "them" to bed soon after supper ?").D.
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My guess, and I'm no doctor, is that the oxygenated blood getting to her brain is too low in volume or too low in oxygen to let her brain work properly. The paleness suggests both. Take her back to the doctor, and wish the doctor luck getting the diagnosis right. Doctors do the best they can, but they don't know everything and cannot get it right on the first try all the time. Exercise some patience and be there for your loved one to the extent that you can. Good luck. God Bless you for being there when you're "all she's got."
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Please take her to her doctor. It sounds like 'mini-strokes' and can lead to a epic stroke if left untreated. She should be evaluated, medications checked, and perhaps even 'observed'. An 'overnight' stay might create the same problem condition and the doctors would be able to check her immediately. This website may provide you with more information. Compare it to your aunt/mothers symptoms.

http://www.strokeassociation.org/STROKEORG/AboutStroke/TypesofStroke/TIA/TIA-Transient-Ischemic-Attack_UCM_310942_Article.jsp

If it isn't a T.I.A. it could be a blood-pressure problem, or any other number of things. Only a doctor can make that assessment. God Bless.
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My 84 year old mother experiences the exact same symptoms upon awakening from a night's sleep,only more severe. She and my 87 yr old dad live alone and he has mobility problems so each time he has called 911and had the ambulance takes her to the emergency room. She has been hospitalized 10 times in the last year. She has had every test possible and no definitive diagnosis. The doctors suspect Atrial Flutter but have never been able to see an actual episode. She has not experienced any symptoms (and has not been back to the hospital)since going on a medication to control her heart rythm last September. In addition to the heart medication, she was prescribed coumadin to help her avoid a stroke, one of the risks of atrial flutter. So far, she's doing much better. Good luck in finding an answer to your aunt's symptoms.
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Is she drinking enough water? A nurse told us that dehydration can cause the blood pressure to drop dramatically when Mom stands up.
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I believe she should be evaluated for mini-strokes. It could be small warning signs of something more serious developing.

Ruth
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